


I Will Choose Free Will

by orphan_account



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Also Cutie Marks Because Why Not, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Homophobia, I Didn't Include All The Characters I'm Gonna Have 'Cause I'm A Lazy Turd, John Winchester's A+ Parenting, M/M, No Smut I'm Sorry But I'm Also Thirteen, Platonic Soulmates, Romance, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, really sappy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-06
Updated: 2016-02-19
Packaged: 2018-05-12 07:14:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,396
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5657413
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>So basically I decided to do an AU with cutie marks as well as soulmate identifying marks. Also, John is a terrible father. I don't write smut or kill major characters, so it's only mature for the graphic depictions of violence and language. I'm on a huge romance kick right now, so this might look like a Disney movie. This might be second to my school work, sadly, so it might be slow going. Luckily for you I like to procrastinate. Have fun.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. This Is The End Of An Era

**Author's Note:**

> First chapter, yay! Backstory time, double yay! Hopefully this isn't too triggering for anyone, but Mary does die, and John is a really really really really terrible father. Cas's family isn't all that pleasant either, but we'll move past that soon enough my lovelies.

Dean was excited. He always was. For the chance to meet his soulmate. 

Dean sat at the table during his 7th birthday, waiting for the marks. Typically everyone got three, the first being your platonic soulmate at around 7. Then at 13 children developed their romantic soulmate mark. The marks were the first words their soulmates would speak to them. The third mark was a wild card. It was a cutie mark. Dean hated the nickname for the picture that would appear on their bodies at some point in their lives. 

John barging in through the door drove Dean from his own head. Sam sniffled at the sight of their father, but had long since stopped crying in front of him. John didn't say anything, he merely grabbed a beer and sat in front of the TV, pretty much the only luxury item they owned. Dean furrowed his brow and continued to feed Sam. Sam grinned happily at his brother until Dean's arm glowed green. The first mark.

'Beam. Beam Bean Dean-Bean.' was written on his left shoulder in a style of writing that was almost calligraphic. Dean let out a chuckle at such ridiculous words in such a delicate font until Sam started mouthing for more food. Perhaps because of their mother's death, their father's crappiness, and Dean's school, Sam was not developing well. He was three and hadn't spoken yet. Dean was worried there was something up in his head and John wouldn't be able to afford treatment.

Sam started almost-crying for food.

"Shh. Hey Sammy," Dean started, trying to calm his brother, "What's my name?" well, that came out of no where.

"B-beam." Sam started. The words on his arm started burning and Dean was so happy. He'd gotten his first mark and met his platonic soulmate in one night.

"Beam Bean Dean-Bean!" Sam said excitedly.

"Yes! Good job Sammy!" Dean said proudly, ruffling his brother's hair and almost-yelling. Dean realized his mistake and covered his mouth with his hands as hid drunken father barged into the room, slurring his words and a weird look in his eyes.

"What in the hell is going on?" John said, beer sloshing out of the bottle and on to the floor.

"Nothing, sir." Dean said timidly. Sam stopped talking again.

"Really? 'Cause I'm pretty sure I heard two burdens screaming their heads off." John snarled sarcastically.

"Sir, Sammy just said his first word." Dean squeaked. John's expression didn't change, looking at his sons in disgust.

"'Bout time. Little midget's probably retarded." John hiccoughed, laughing slightly.

"Sammy. Is. Not. Retarded." Dean hissed, fire in his eyes, "He's three and already smarter than you." he finished. John snarled back and moved rapidly enough to crash the bottle over Dean's head and send stars winking through his vision before he couldn't see anything.

.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

"Happy Birthday to yooouuuu!" Cas's family sang the song slowly and off-key, making Cas giggle. Cas's face was lit eerily by the candles on his birthday cake, making his adorable smile seem slightly insane. His family stopped singing and Cas closed his eyes and blew out the candles, wishing for his soulmates. Almost as an answer to his prayers, a spot just above his heart started to glow.

"Lift up your shirt, sweetie." his oldest cousin, Anna, cooed. Cas lifted his shirt carefully and looked down to examine the writing.

'Have you seen my- DID SOMEONE JUST SAY BUCKY BARNES IS A VILLAIN?!' was written in bright red just above his heart in a sloppy writing. His whole family burst out laughing and Cas snorted too.

"I hope whoever he is, he has a good sense of humor." his mother said sweetly. His family was awesome. There was his mom, Anna, who stayed over sometimes, Luci, Gabe, who was Anna's little brother, Hael and Samandriel, or Diri. Hael and Diri were twins and had the exact same shade of unnerving eyes, and the same dark hair. Mike stayed sometimes too, he was Luci's platonic soulmate, except once Cas caught them kissing. They made him promise never to tell. Meg was Luci's other soulmate and she scared Cas to be honest. Her leather jackets were always making weird clinking noises from all the metal chains that hung off them.

"Wait." Cas thought suddenly. His family stopped what they were doing and hung on to his every word. "Who the hell is Bucky?" he asked. Luci, Mike, and Meg, who were in the corner, burst into laughter. Cas had heard that come out of the TV once and thought it worth a try. His mother, however, looked at him and the three teenagers scornfully.

"We don't use that kind of language, Castiel Novak." his mother scolded. Cas bowed his head shamefully. His mother whapped him sharply on the back of the head as punishment. He was close to tears and he could feel Mike and Meg's desire to help him, but since they were guests they couldn't do anything. His mother was very... traditional. This meant she expected males to have platonic male soulmates and female romantic soulmates, and vice versa. Cas had it drilled into his head at that point. He would have a guy platonic soulmate and a female romantic soulmate who he would marry one day and have children with. The female soulmate would do whatever he asked of her without asking for anything in return, and if not he would punish her as he saw fit. Children and females were below their spouses and fathers. Being traditional also meant she gave physical punishments instead of grounding and time-outs. Cas felt her hand hit him multiple times on the back, leaving him winded and bruised, tears running down his cheeks.

"STOPIT!" Meg shrieked, losing her patience.

"He is MY son, I shall punish him as I see fit, Lucifer James Novak, keep your fiancée under control." Cas's mother scolded.

"And you're beating him for saying the word 'hell'!" Meg shrieked back. Luci did nothing but sit in stunned silence. Or just silence. Cas thought he saw a small smirk on his face, but the lighting was still dim. Luci's fiancée was Meg, she wore the ring, but Cas could've sworn he saw Meg give Mike the ring once in the night when no one was watching. But that was impossible. Because only romantic soulmates wore rings. And no two guys could be romantic soulmates.

"You. Out." Cas's mother said angrily, pointing to the exit. Meg suddenly looked confused and backed out slowly, leaving terrified looks on Mike and Luci's faces.

"Lucifer, you disappoint me. She is your responsibility, and you let her around in those god-forsaken skinny jeans and that leather jacket, making her look like a street thug!" Cas's mother ranted, looking like the start of a very long night. Which it was. 

It was the worst birthday Cas had had in a long time.

.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

Dean had to move. Again.

Sam still didn't talk much.

On Sam's seventh birthday, he got the words, 'Goodnight Sammy' on his left calf. Those were the words Dean had said to him seven years ago and made the brothers absolutely certain they were going to be perfect friends. Sometimes the words had already been spoken, like when childhood friends become soulmates.

"Sammy, let's get your stuff ready." Dean said softly, picking up Sam's books and setting them into his suitcase. Sam nodded blankly and got his stuff ready. Sam didn't talk much, didn't show emotion either really. But Dean had been right about one thing. Sam was smart. Dean was helping Sam pack up his stuff because he wanted to talk to him.

"So this year you're getting your romantic soulmate mark." Dean started. Sam was thirteen and Dean seventeen. They were on the run. Dean remembered his thirteenth birthday when he received the words, 'No shit Sherlock. What's your name?' on his stomach in bold cursive. He got the words in the Impala and neither John not the sleeping Sammy noticed. Neither had gotten their cutie- oh god how Dean hated that name- marks yet. But there was still time to get it. Dean still hoped for the mark. Sam yearned for it inwardly. He hadn't spoken in ten years. He would never cry. His face was an emotionless mask. Dean knew what Sam was feeling though, it was a soulmate thing. Once soulmates were bonded, they had met and gotten acquainted and fell in love, etc., they could sense miraculous things about the other. When they were in danger and what they were feeling, for instance. Dean was so finely in-tune with Sam that Dean could tell what Sam was feeling, even if John didn't have a clue. Sam was feeling apprehensive and anxious. His head was buzzing with questions, like it always was.

"Sometimes people don't get soulmates, but that won't happen to you. And even if it does, you have me, remember?" Dean comforted his brother, pulling him into a hug. Sam hugged his brother back and grabbed his suitcase before jumping into the Impala. Sam was happy about the hug, but he wanted to leave. 

Just as they exited the door, a blinding brown-orange light appeared on Sam's right arm. It had the words, 'Don't hurt me! Holy shit you're tall.' written on his right forearm. Dean sniggered. Sam was in fact a giant. He was a whole head taller than Dean, and at four years younger Dean found that extremely unfair.

"Don't worry Sammy, I'm sure you'll meet her, or him, soon." Dean said, hugging his brother tightly again. It wasn't uncommon for platonic soulmates to hug or even sometimes light kissing. They were soulmates after all, but Dean felt like it'd be wrong to kiss his brother, so he didn't.

Another light appeard on Dean's opposite bicep to his platonic soulmate's mark. It was his (he internally dubbed it the "Mark". That was it. Not "cutie". Just Mark) mark! He looked at a picture of a wrench on his shoulder. A mechanic. He'd considered the possibility a few times having worked on the Impala more times than he had fingers, but never did he think he'd actually get that mark. 

"Congratulations." Sam whispered, dragging his brother into another joy-filled hug.

"You too. Now get in the car bitch." Dean cat-called his brother fondly.

"Jerk." Sam smiled, getting into the passenger seat.

.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

"Okay Cassie, last year at high school! You excited or what? Maybe this year you'll meet your soulmate!" Anna squealed, dragging Cas from the house.

"Maybe." Cas grumbled, pulling on his trench coat. He was the practical definition of Bible Boy, and the only thing setting him apart was the raggedy oversized trench coat always wrapped around his small body. It was the only reminder of Luci, who disappeared one day without explanation or reason. Not that he'd needed one. Their mother told him to keep Meg under control and sent Luci and Mike away to god knows where.

Anna had her soulmate, Balthazar, over a few times, and her other soulmate was still a mystery. She told Luci once, and Lucifer never tells secrets. Never.

Anna got everyone ready, she was sending Gabe, Diri, and Hael to the middle school and Cas was going to his senior year of high school.

"Well, time for the munchkins to leave!" Anna called cheerfully. Diri and Hael bounced off and Gabe sort of just sulked off. Gabe was being terrorized at school but for whatever reason he refused to tell his mother. Cas shrugged it off and rode to the high school with Anna.

"This is your stop." Anna said, never losing her constant smile. Cas grabbed his backpack and shouldered his way through the crowd. There was a girl with red hair and buck teeth shouting, "Hey I LOST MY PHONE IT LOOKS LIKE THE TARDIS HAS ANYONE SEEN IT?" 

Cas didn't get suspicious at all until she approached.

"Hey have you seen my-" she cut herself off as a group of freshmen walked by, saying something about Winter Soldiers and Caps.

"DID SOMEONE JUST SAY BUCKY BARNES IS A VILLAIN?!" she yelled, making Cas pale. This wasn't supposed to happen. This girl was his platonic soulmate. Cas watched the first card tumble as his safe life collapsed around him like a house of cards.


	2. And The Walls Came Tumbling Down Like A House Of Cards

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean and Cas meet, Sam and Gabe meet. Yeah, this chapter's gonna be depressing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello fellow beings of the internet! You get two chapters in one day, lucky you! Cas's mom is a huge jerk, isn't she? Btw, in case it was confusing, Anna has two guy soulmates, Balthazar and Adam. Unfortunately, my school just started Sex Ed., so I'm not going to write smut for, uh, ever again.  
> Thank you and goodnight,  
> Cat

Dean walked into the school like he owned the place already. It was the best way to make friends, and maybe find his soulmate.

Cas was in a bad fucking mood. He was confused and terrified and sad and desperate and happy cause he found his soulmate. His platonic soulmate was a girl, Charlie, the school's biggest nerd. She was a lesbian and hadn't met her romantic soulmate yet. Cas felt himself leave with nothing but a head nod, feeling sick, about as sick as he was feeling now. What was going to happen to him? What was his mother going to do? What would Luci do? Cas hugged the trench coat around himself a little tighter and felt genuinely irritated by everyone who tried to talk to him. He snapped at people, not really caring that their faces were etched with shock at the usually sweet but shy boy yelling at them to go away. He sat at his desk and glared at everything. His teacher, Mr. Busby, came into the room with a new student.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is Dean. Dean, please introduce yourself." Mr. Busby said briskly, returning to his desk to ignore everything.

"I'm Dean." Dean smiled genuinely. Cas felt the words on his left pec, 'My god your eyes are blue' start to heat up slightly. Oh hell no. This could not be happening.

"I'm an Aquarius, and I enjoy long walks on the beach and frisky women." he said flirtily, winking at several girls.

"Sit HERE!" they all demanded, but Dean just smirked to himself and sat next to Cas. He turned to look at the boy sitting next to him and was greeted with dazzling green eyes. Dean, on the other hand, was reeling from Cas's blue ones.

"My god your eyes are blue." Dean said, eyes filled with stardust. 

"No shit Sherlock. What's your name?" Cas asked, finding nothing to ask in his blank brain.

"What?! I just answered that! It's Dean." Dean snorted, making Cas laugh. Dammit.

"Listen, you're words, they're right here." Dean said, lifting his shirt to reveal a toned chest. On the stomach were Cas's exact words, written in a brilliant blue. In his exact handwriting. Cas turned an alarming pale color and dashed out, ignoring the cheers and gasps of shock at his leaving. Dean ran out after him and found Cas hyperventilating in the bathroom.

"What's wrong?" Dean asked soothingly, reaching out to touch Cas's shoulder. Cas shook Dean off and took refuge in one of the stalls, panic setting in.

"What do I do?" Dean fretted, pulling on his hair outside the stall. Cas heaved breaths, eyes wide, and loudly gasping for air to get depleting oxygen to his lungs.

"Do you have a platonic soulmate?" Dean asked suddenly, an idea striking him. Cas's shakey voice replied with a barely audible "No.", and Dean somehow heard it. 'Maybe he has a quiet sibling,' the rational part of Cas's brain thought. He was still on hyper panic mode though, and he needed someone. 

"A sibling maybe?" Dean asked cautiously, making Cas's panic get worse. He could already see the disapproving words and looks, the hits, maybe his mother would even do something worse. He'd only seen it done a few times, once to Luci, once to Gabe, and once to Anna. Cas somehow managed to avoid the most arduous punishment his mother gave out. She would take a metal poker from the fireplace and get it red hot before pressing it to their backs. Luci was caught kissing Mike once. Anna refused to tell their mother her other soulmate's name. And Gabe came out.

"Okay, got it. Tell no one." Dean said.

"T-thank you." Cas wheezed.

"But you still need help. Let me." Dean pressed gently. Cas was still panicking and thought nothing of the lock turning itself until he was in Dean's arms. Dean's pocket knife clicked back into place and he put it back in his jacket.

"Shhh." Dean said, bringing Cas to the floor and petting his hair comfortingly. Cas whimpered into Dean's shoulder, and Dean noticed a flash of light on Cas's shoulder.

"Hey, uh, Cas, right?" Dean asked gently. Cas nodded, getting slightly scared again. 

"Hey hey no I'm not gonna do anything. I just wanna see your shoulder." Dean said, carefully rolling Cas's sleeve up to reveal a strange mark. It was a pair of black, nondescript wings. They were stretched wide and looked almost ready to take flight. Cas's eyes widened as he stared at the symbol. They were cartoonish, like most cutie marks, but somehow seemed more serious than some others. Maybe it was the strange reddish color that was only visible under close inspection. Dean's shoulder flashed with green light.

"What the fuck?" Dean asked, rolling up his sleeve to find his cutie mark had changed. This was a once-in-a-lifetime thing. It meant that someone's passion was different from what they were good at, or truly destined to be. However, the only difference was that it had a wrench crossed with a pistol, which left Dean extremely confused and a little disturbed, especially when he noticed a slight red tinge to the wrench tattoo. A cutie mark that changed a little but still had one or more of the same elements meant that it might be of a slightly different focus, like a doctor receiving a pet paw along with a stethoscope to represent veterinary work. Dean was going to have a bitch of a time covering this up. 

"Well, I'm never gonna be allowed anywhere near little kids again." Dean sighed, making Cas laugh again. 'Oh God,' Cas realized. He was in love.

.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

Sam trudged to the school, missing Dean. He blew a piece of hair from his eyes and looked down to his clothes. A black hoodie and skinny jeans certainly made him look like a bully, he realized this might have something to do with the words on his chest. His face was the same mask of no feeling as he made his way to his locker. There was a crowd, and Sam rolled his eyes. Bullies. Sam's least favorite thing ever.

Sam shouldered his way through the crowd rudely, without apology. It offended people, but Sam wasn't talking to them, or really anyone he didn't know. The only person he willingly talked to was Dean, anyone else could hurt him.

"You gonna apologize, you little fag?" a deep, very British voice asked.

"Firstly, fag is a term that refers to a bundle of sticks." a short, chubby kid said at the cost of being slammed up against the lockers again.

"Second, I am p a n s e x u a l, meaning I fall in love with someone's soul before their appearance." this got him a punch in the stomach. Punching-Bag spit blood into the other guy's face.

"And third, I'm not apologizing for bringing shame to your family or whatever." Punching-Bag said.

"Okay, that's IT." Angry-British-Guy said, throwing Punching-Bag to the ground and kicking him. Sam had had enough of this. He grabbed Angry-British-Guy's head and slammed it up against the lockers. Angry-British-Guy was suddenly looking very scared at the fire in Sam's eyes and scampered, or rather slithered like the snake he was, off.

"Don't hurt me." Punching-Bag squeaked, opening his eyes a bit.

"Holy shit you're tall."

Sam could barely contain himself. He snarled at Angry-British-Guy's companions and they fled the scene. Sam offered his hand to Punching-Bag, pulling him up.

"Strong too." Punching-Bag sniggered. Sam looped Punching-Bag's arm around his shoulders and helped a limping Punching-Bag to the bathroom.

"You don't have to do this, I'm perfectly capable of cleaning myself up." Punching-Bag complained. Sam nodded but continued to get paper towels. He ran them under warm water and pressed one to Punching-Bag's face, which had a cut from the lockers.

"You don't even know my name." Punching-Bag pointed out, whiskey eyes full of confusion. Suddenly Sam's arm was glowing bright orange. Cutie marks might appear at random times in your lives, but they always appeared on one of your arms. Sam would look at it later. He continued to nurse Punching-Bag's wounds to Punching-Bag's evident even more confusion.

"My name's Gabriel, by the way." Punching-Bag said quietly. Sam nodded again.

"You speak English?" Gabriel asked. Sam shook his head, it was easier if people thought him stupid rather than broken.

"Oh. Uh- American Sign Language?" Gabriel asked curiously. Sam nodded eagerly.

'Hello' Gabriel signed, smiling a genuine smile instead of the little smirk he usually reserved for everyone who didn't matter.

'I can read and listen to English I just don't SPEAK it' Sam signed back.

"Oh. Okay then. Name please." Gabriel demanded.

'Sam' Sam signed back before, 'I need to remove your shirt'

"What?" Gabriel asked incredulously.

'Your shirt. Angry-British-Guy kicked you' Sam pointed out.

"No." Gabriel refused.

'Okay' Sam said with a small sigh, and proceeded to press his hands into Gabriel's sides.

"What. Are. You. Doing?" Gabriel asked, stiffening. Sam took a small break to sign, 'Feeling for broken or cracked ribs. If you removed your shirt I'd be able to tell be looking.'

"Oh. Uh, fine. Just don't look at my back." Gabriel said. The words on Gabriel's chest were, 'You're pretty damn funny for a midget.' in a messy handwriting that spoke of incredible laziness, and 'I love you.' in Sam's handwriting. Maybe this guy would be able to draw Sam out of his shell. Maybe.

Sam gently looked Gabriel over and decided nothing looked broken, although he'd have a nasty bruise where Angry-British-Guy kicked him.

'Nothing broken' Sam relayed to Gabriel.

"Thank goodness. Now put my shirt back on." he demanded, a bit silly.

'Hang on' Sam signed, rolling up one of his sleeves to reveal his romantic soulmate's words, 'Don't hurt me. Holy shit you're tall!' and showed them to Gabriel. Gabriel stared at the words and stared at Sam.

"I just found my soulmate! Or one of them, at least. Hey, am I your romantic or platonic soulmate?" Gabriel asked anxiously.

'Romantic' Sam signed back. Apparently the soulmate marks didn't recognize and sign language as an official language.

"Oh. Well, wait- why are we still discussing this? Show off your cutie mark!" Gabriel urged in an obvious attempt to distract from himself, rolling up Sam's sleeve some more to reveal a shield looking thing with a gruesome splatter of something red on it.

"Well, you're never going near little kids again." Gabriel snorted.

'Nope' Sam signed back, making Gabriel laugh a genuine laugh that almost made Sam smile.


	3. The Little Boy Just Could Not Sleep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I must be really bored to do three chapters in one day. Long story short: important shit happens. Trigger warnings are the same, I won't kill anyone I promise. Well, maybe Cas's mom but we won't really be sad to see her go now will we?

"Cas, we should go somewhere." Dean whispered into his soulmate's ear, hugging him still. Cas was wrapped in Dean's embrace, face buried in his shoulder.

"Why? I like it here." Cas murmured.

"Well firstly, we're on the floor of a filthy school men's room." Dean started, making Cas realize where they were.

"Well shit." Cas laughed.

"Maybe we can go to my house. It's just me and Sammy." Dean winked. Cas blinked, "Oh. I'm sorry for your loss." apparently he assumed that Dean was orphaned.

"Let's go." Dean might explain later, but for now the truth was a bit too harsh for Cas's ears in Dean's opinion.

"Okay." Cas agreed, shakily standing up.

"I got you angel." Dean said. The pet name surprised Cas a bit, but he wasn't complaining.

The two went to Dean's car and hopped inside. Dean started the engine and they roared out of school to Dean's 'house'. In reality it was a crappy RV they were squatting in until someone came to retrieve their house.

"Oh my, this is, uh-" Cas was at a loss for words.

"I know. It's a shithole." Dean said.

"No, no it's lovely." Cas assured.

"No it's not. It's a shithole." Dean argued.

"Well then." Cas snorted at his soulmate's stubbornness. 

"SAMMY WE'RE BACK!" Dean yelled into the house.

"How do you know he's there?" Cas asked.

"He's my platonic soulmate." Dean shrugged. Siblings being platonic soulmates weren't uncommon, but it was still strange seeing a pair.

"I'm sorry if I fail to see how this place isn't lovely. You don't even have any parents!" Cas said gleefully.

"Wish I did though." Dean said sadly. Before his mother died, John had actually been a good father, but after the fire the man they once called their father was gone, replaced by a drunk abusive man who paraded as their guardian but was actually their worst fear.

"I'm sorry. I guess since we're soulmates we'll have to explain it all to each other." Cas said.

"Yeah." Dean agreed, opening the door to find Gabriel cooking something.

'Hey Dean, guess what' Sam signed excitedly.

"You found a munchkin on the street and you want to keep him?" Dean teased.

'Yeah, he's even potty trained' Sam snorted, cracking a smile for the first time in ten years.

"Sammy." Dean sighed, hugging his little brother.

"Dean." Sam sighed back, into his shoulder.

"I thought you didn't speak English!" Gabe cried incredulously from the kitchen.

"Dean, that's Gabriel." Sam whispered.

"Sam does speak, but only to me." Dean said, rubbing Sam's back.

"You two seem awfully close." Gabe speculated.

"They're platonic soulmates." Cas shrugged.

"Oh." Gabe apologized, but Dean shook it off.

"Okay, let's discuss our life stories!" Cas clapped his hands excitedly.

"Yep." Dean said.

"You first." Gabe said, claiming a rocking chair. Sam and Dean took the couch and left Cas to sit at the booth.

"Fine. When I was four and Sammy was six months old, an arsonist set fire to Sammy's nursery. Our mother saved us but at the cost of herself. She died and Dad pretty much went berserk. He drank and drank and drank until he couldn't form words right and then he beat me." Dean said bitterly, "So when I was sixteen I took Sammy, myself, and a few of our belongings and ran. We drove for miles until we got here." he said.

"That sucks. So why doesn't Sam talk?" Gabe asked.

"'Cause dad would beat me if he talked. It worked its way into a detached emotions disorder, I read about it somewhere online, it happens to people under extreme stress and is a form of PTSD, the person still feels emotions, but doesn't show them for the fear of losing ones they love, hurting others or themselves, or being made fun of." Dean said.

"On a happier note, Cas got his cutie mark today." Dean smiled at his soulmate, leaving Sam to join Cas at the booth thingy.

"So did I!" Sam said happily, rolling up his sleeve to show the mark. Cas did the same and Dean admired Sam's mark and Gabe admired Cas's.

"Dean, show Sam your cutie mark." Cas prompted.

"Oh yeah! It changed Sammy." Dean said, showing Sam the wrench and pistol. Sam's was a shield that was white and blue, with some suspicious and gruesome red splatters on it, covering the crest.

"Isn't it weird how all of our marks have blood on them?" Dean asked.

"That is odd." Cas said thoughtfully, "I know of one person who has a bloody cutie mark though, Bobby Singer." 

"We'll go visit him sometime, then." Dean nodded. He knew Bobby, Bobby was an old family friend. Sam didn't know him though.

"Yeah, and also it's your turn to tell us your life story." Dean said after a pause, folding his arms.

"Okay." and tell Cas did. He told them of every incident where his mother had hit him with her hands, a paddle, a switch, or a whip. He told them of the scars you got when you disobeyed, when you rebelled. He told them how Luci was almost covered in the scars. He told them about the red-hot poker that she laid cruel criss-crosses on Luci, Anna, and Gabe. He had Gabe show them the scars of the skin on his back, melted and pink. By the end Dean and Sam were mortified.

"I'm so so sorry, angel." Dean whispered, kissing Cas.

"What for?" Cas still didn't get it.

"I'm going to kill your mother." Dean snarled suddenly.

'You are not.' Sam glared at him.

"Fine. I won't kill their mother. I'm going to sue her." Dean said in a much more civilized tone.

"You realize these things she's been doing to you are illegal, right?" Dean asked. Cas and Gabe shook their heads, eyes wide.

"In fact, I'm gonna call the child protection services right now." Dean finished in a resolute statement.

'Dean, wait' Sam signed.

"What?"

'We have to all be there, all of her kids at least, and we also have to have a legal guardian for everyone.' Sam signed, rolling his eyes and huffing.

"Okay. I'll call our old friend Bobby first."

.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

A short ride to Bobby's and a hug from their favorite almost-uncle later and Cas and Gabe were extremely confused.

"How do you know him?" Gabe asked.

"I know him, Sam met him when he was a baby. He was nice to me, and I wanted to go back, but it was so close to our mother's death." Dean sighed.

"Ya idjits! Me and John've been waging custody war over you two since you left!" Bobby said, smacking them lightly with a newspaper, making Cas and Gabe flinch.

"Bobby, they're the reason we came. They're traumatized. They need someone to look after them." Dean said with pleading eyes.

"Y'know, Sam was the chattiest baby." Ellen said, rounding the corner.

"Auntie Ellen!" Dean cried happily.

"Do I know you child?" Ellen joked.

"Sam doesn't talk any more." Dean broke the sad news to Ellen and Bobby.

"Why not?" Jo asked, coming through the doorway.

"Joanna Beth! Say hi to your cousins." Ellen scolded.

"Hi to your cousins." Jo said cheekily.

"I will beat you child." Ellen joked, making Cas and Gabe flinch again.

"In their house it wasn't a joke." Dean said harshly.

"You just GOTTA bring the mood down, dont'cha Mr. Fancy Pants?" Gabe asked, making Jo laugh.

"Y'know, you're actually pretty funny for a midget." Jo said.

"And you're pretty spunky for a girl." Gabe teased back.

"Oh. My. God." Jo squealed, "Mom, he's my platonic soulmate!" Jo said happily, running to hug Gabriel, who looked stricken.

"What?" Jo asked, looking a little hurt.

"My mom is going to be so mad." Gabe whispered, frozen in absolute terror.

"Poor thing." Ellen said, sympathy in her eyes.

"Fine. We'll adopt them." Bobby sighed, knowing this was what was going to happen.

"Foster, technically. Most of us are in middle school." Gabe corrected.

"Most?" Bobby asked, worried.

"Don't worry, we can mostly take care of ourselves." Gabe chuckled, much to Bobby's relief, and then Cas spoke, "Lucifer's the oldest. He lives somewhere else now and isn't allowed to keep in touch, although sometimes he'll send us a phone call in the middle of the night. It usually ends up with my mom screaming at all of us and- and-" Cas took a deep breath, unable to continue. He started shaking and broke down in Dean's embrace.

"Shh, angel, it'll be okay." Dean comforted Cas, rubbing circles into his back.

"They're soulmates." Gabriel said. Ellen and Bobby nodded. Jo was honestly looking like she was two seconds from going to kill their mother herself, and Dean knew that Ellen and Bobby felt the same way, they were just better at hiding it.

"I'm going to finish." Cas said determinedly, wiping his eyes and gathering his courage. "Anyway, there's Anna next, and then me, then Gabe, then Hael and Diri, the twins." he finished, taking a deep breath. 

"Good job Cas. I'm proud of you." Dean smiled at his soulmate, kissing him on the cheek. Cas smiled at this and the whole room lit up.

"Well, take everyone here for the night. We'll get the situation sorted out and make sure that, that creature, that monster, won't ever hurt you again." Ellen said, gesturing toward the living room.

"Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you!" Gabe said, running to hug Ellen and flinching at the contact, which made Sam laugh.

'You bruised a rib, you idiot' Sam signed at Gabriel.

"I know I bruised a friggin' rib, it hurts when I walk!" Gabe said, making Sam laugh harder. Dean looked on in wonder. He hadn't gotten Sam to laugh in years. Maybe he just needed that extra push from his romantic soulmate.

"Deeeeaaan, I'm tired." Cas complained.

"Yeah, 'cuz without that badass cutie mark you're just a baby in a trench coat." Dean chuckled.

"My cutie mark is badass." Cas said, stumbling over the curse word.

"C'mon, we're gonna get some sleep, huggy bear." Dean said.

"Ugh. Carry me?" Cas asked, lifting his arms up. Dean carried Cas bridal style into the biggest guest bedroom.

'They're gonna get married.' Sam signed.

"Yes. Yes they are." Gabe responded.

'know what? I'm kinda tired too. Carry me' Sam signed, lifting his arms up in a mimicry of Cas.

"If I can't hug people, then I most certainly can't give them piggy back rides." Gabe snorted, fleeing the scene. Sam ran behind him lazily.

"I call no fairsies." Gabe complained at the top of the stairs, "Your giant moose legs give you an unfair advantage." Sam laughed at that.

'Let's go to bed.' Sam signed.

"I concur." Gabriel said in a terrible British accent, pointing the way and charging into the bedroom. He jumped into the bed with a loud, 'Oomph' noise and Sam laughed even harder. When Sam came into the room he shut the door and turned out the lights before jumping and narrowly missing Gabe.

"You're a silly moose." Gabe said. Sam got them straightened out. Sam reached for Gabe's hand and took it, planting a delicate kiss on the back of his hand.

"Samshine? Is there something you want to tell me?" Gabe asked, drawing Sam closer. Even in the dark he could see Sam nodding.

"Well get on with it then!" Gabe encouraged.

"I love you." Sam whispered, drawing Gabriel into a tight hug under the covers. 

"I love you too." Gabe said, realizing he did just then.


	4. I Am A Terrible Person

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cas's mother (the evil bitch) comes into play. Super duper sorry, this chapter is gonna be fucking s a d. (NO MCD)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Triggers. Many many many triggers. Luci comes back though, so yayness for that I guess.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN THIS IS ALL LEGAL?" Bobby roared.

"She has custody, sir." the lady said coldly.

"Oh no." Cas paled. Gabriel looked stricken too.

"Look at them! Look at their faces!" Bobby yelled angrily.

"Sir, calm down or I will have to call security." the lady said.

"Bobby, there's nothing we can do." Ellen said.

"Let's go, angel." Dean said to Cas, leading him out of the room. Sam put his hand on the small of Gabriel's back and shepherded him out too.

"Sir, you need to leave." the lady said. Bobby stormed out and Ellen glared at the woman.

"Shhh, Cas." Dean said in the driver's seat of the Impala. Cas was having a panic attack and was shaking. Gabriel wasn't too much better and Sam had wrapped him in a silent embrace. Dean started driving and Cas said, "We have to go back to my house."

"No we don't." Dean said.

"Just take us there." Cas said, hanging his head.

"Fine. But I'm gonna hate myself for it." Dean said, taking a right.

.o0o.

They arrived to a house that was eerily quiet.

"She doesn't have to know you're my romantic soulmate." Cas said.

"Okay." Dean agreed.

"Samshine, let's do that too." Gabriel said softly. Sam nodded and the four went into the house.

"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?" said a lady who looked like a hawk. She sounded like an evil Mrs. Weasley from Harry Potter.

"I found my platonic soulmate. Mom, this is Dean." Cas said, gesturing to the boy.

"THAT DOESN'T JUSTIFY BEING GONE FOR A DAY! COME HERE!" she yelled, hitting Cas with her spatula. She turned around and did the same to Gabriel.

"Mom I found my soulmate too. This is Sam." he said quietly, eyes watering. Sam's fists were clenched but his face showed no emotion like usual.

"Hello darlings, stay for dinner why don't you? Do you like salmon?" she asked them. Sam nodded and Dean let out a soft "Yes."

"Okay then." she nodded, getting back to cooking.

"C'mon Sammich, let me show you my room!" Gabriel said, falsely cheery. He led Sam upstairs and to Anna's room. Anna, Diri, and Hael were there.

"This is my soulmate, Sam." Gabriel said, leading Sam into the room.

"Cool beans. How you doin', Sam?" Anna asked, leaning back in her overly-conservative clothes. Sam nodded and Anna was confused.

"He doesn't talk much." Gabe said.

"Ah. Hey gremlin, here's your daily allotment of candy." Anna smiled, handing Gabe a small bag.

"Yessss." Gabe hissed. He grabbed two suckers from the bag and handed one to Sam.

'Thank you.' Sam signed, popping the blue sucker in his mouth.

"Gabriel, I do believe you're in love." Anna said, sniggering.

"Damn right." Gabe said. Sam laughed and sat down on the floor. Gabriel sat next to him and they sucked on their lollipops.

"You two aren't platonic soulmates, are you?" Diri asked, more of a statement than a question.

"No. But you can't tell mom, okay?" Gabe asked nervously.

"You have my silence, O' Wise and Glorious Candy Demon." Diri said, giving a mock salute.

"Hello everyone, this is Dean, my romantic soulmate." Cas said, grabbing Dean by the hand.

"Cool beans, now sit the fuck down so we can discuss our dear brother Lucifer." Anna said. Dean and Cas sat down and waited for Anna to start.

"Luci is turning 18 in five months, and then he's gonna go to court for custody of us. What is our course of action?" she asked, rubbing her hands together deviously.

"Well, we should probably do our best to stay off mom's radar-" Cas started before Hael interrupted him.

"Are you kidding?! No, this is the best time to get ON the radar. Get in trouble. Let the bruises show. Drive her insane." she plotted, "We need evidence. This shit is legal, and it obviously shouldn't be. We have to make it seem like Luci is way better than Mom. Ruin her clothes, her reputation as the perfect do-it-yourself housewife."

"Yes." Anna agreed, "Let's plot in stages. First stage, destroy her reputation. That'll be hardest. Diri and Hael are on public breakdown squads. Cry. Scream. Get your way no matter what. We'll stand by and record, ready to post on the internet. Everyone who can't act like a two year old will get into as much trouble as possible. Get her angry, let the bruises show. Walk around and own them. Let everyone see her for the monster that she is." 

"Second stage. Pranking. Sam and the Candy Gremlin got this one. Pull mass pranks. Dye her hair. Ruin her pansuits. Rip up her check book. Leave tiny dinosaurs all around the house and drive her insane. Paint her car banana yellow." Gabriel was already grinning and Sam was a little bit frightened by his soulmate.

"Third stage. Make Luci look awesome. Cas and Dean, I'm counting on you to make this happen. I will be behind the scenes, prying and getting mother's account information." Anna finished.

"We start stage one when Luci comes." Hael decided. Anna nodded.

"Until then, be extra good." she added, "No kissing your soulmates. Don't ask for anything. Do exactly as she says. I know this stage will be hard for you Gabe, but think of the reward." Anna said sagely. Gabe nodded.

"Now, let's go down to dinner early washed up and silent."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was not as horrible as I thought it was going to be. As you can probably tell, this is going to get real bloody real quick (with some crack for those of you who enjoy it)
> 
> Love,  
> Cat


	5. Mission Improbable: The Evil Witch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is going to be fun ;)

Lucifer arrived on a Monday with Meg and Michael.

"Why are you back here." his mother asked coldly.

"What? So now I can't see my siblings?" Lucifer asked innocently.

"No. They don't want to see you anyway." she sniffed. Lucifer's face fell but Anna appeared suddenly and out of nowhere, a common gift of the Novak kids.

"Luci? HEY GUYS LUCI'S HERE!" she yelled, pushing her mother aside to give Lucifer a hug. Lucifer smirked at his mother and hugged Anna back.

"I missed you Anna Banana." he whispered.

"I missed you too, doofus." she said back.

"LUCI!" the rest of the kids roared, except for two. They all hugged Lucifer and he sank down to the ground, breathing in the scent of his siblings.

"I count seven. Last I checked there were five of you." he said, narrowing his eyes.

"Yeah, that's Sam and Dean, Gabe and Cas's soulmates." Anna said.

"What? The candy goblin has a soulmate that isn't candy itself?" Luci feigned surprise.

"Congrats baby bro." he said after a while.

"While this is all heartwarming, I have a family to run and you're all in huge trouble as it is for inviting your brother here without my permission." their mother chided.

"Oh no, Naomi, they didn't invite ME, I came to raise them from this hell you call a home." Lucifer said snarkily.

"That's it. Get out and don't come back." Mrs. Novak snarled, slamming the door.

'Phase one is a go' Anna signed, as their mother couldn't understand sign language. She also didn't seem to grasp the concept of Sam not speaking, and expected him to answer her, so that became a huge part of their plan.

"So Gabe, wanna go to the movies sometime?" Sam asked normally. It had taken most of the months to get Sam to talk normally, but it had paid off. 

"Sure Sammich." Gabe grinned.

"Oh no, you are all grounded for inviting your brother. And Sam dear, why haven't you spoken to me?" Mrs. Novak asked, a little hurt. Sam didn't answer and instead signed, 'Because I hate you', making everyone laugh.

"You know I can't understand charades. Speak up." she chided.

'No. I hate you' was Sam's response. Everyone was laughing and Mrs. Novak was red in the face.

"What's he saying? Gabe, tell me what he's saying." she demanded.

'No. I hate you.' Gabe signed. Everyone was roaring with laughter, and Anna was rolling. They had hidden secret cameras, complements of Bobby, around the house.

"Argh! Gabriel Novak speak English or I will beat you." Mrs. Novak threatened.

"[I guess you'll just have to beat me then.]" Gabe said in Gaelic. As it turns out he was quite the language nerd.

"Gabriel. Novak. Come. Here." their mother was furious. Gabe complied with a skip in his step.

"You worthless piece of trash!" Mrs. Novak yelled, hitting her son with a switch, a thin wooden branch that whistled through the air and made sickening cracking noises. 

"Hey angel." Dean said softly, approaching Cas. This made Mrs. Novak stop. Dean wrapped Cas in his arms and passionately kissed him.

"CASTIELNOVAKGETOVERHERE." Mrs. Novak roared. She grabbed and iron poker and placed it in the fire. Cas gulped and knew what was coming, but he faced it stony faced and with pride. Mrs. Novak bent him over and removed his shirt, and grabbed the poker out of the fire. Dean looked like he was fighting every impulse in his body as Mrs. Novak laid the searing hot metal thing over Cas's back. Cas howled out in pain and writhed as she went from gently pressing it to whacking Cas hard enough to leave yellow bruises.

"You. Little. Faggot." she hissed.

"And he's not the only one." Gabe said cheerily, pulling Sam down to his height.

"EVERYONE! DOWN! ON! THE! GROUND!" Mrs. Novak screamed. Everyone made haste to comply.

"Oh no. If you two think you're getting out of this, think again." Mrs. Novak said, voice a dangerous growl. Sam and Dean's eyes widened in shock, they hadn't been expecting this. They got down on the ground and Mrs. Novak hit them all with a switch across the legs, leaving white and red marks along their calves. This got worse when she moved on to an actual whip. She took out every ounce of rage within her, hitting her sons, daughters, and kids that weren't hers. She even hit them all with the poker. She dismissed them to their rooms, and Anna was shocked.

"Oh dear god, what are we gonna do now?" she asked. She got a brilliant idea though, one that they would need outside help for.

.o0o.

"Anna, oh Anna, let me in dammit!" a voice called. Anna opened her window and the fire ladder dropped down and several people crawled in.

"Okay, so. I'm gonna introduce everyone." she said. 

"Adam. Balthazar. Charlie. Jo. Ash. Luci. Mike. And Meg." each nodded.

"We have a bad situation. Our resources have been cut short. Now, each of you has the items I asked for, correct?" everyone nodded.

"Good. This is gonna get messy."

.o0o.

A scream rippled through the house.

"What is it?!" several shouts filled the house.

"WHICH ONE OF YOU HEATHENS DID THIS?!" Naomi screamed, staring at her pansuit collection. Her now muddy and pink pansuit collection.

"WE'VE ALL BEEN LOCKED UP!" Anna shouted.

"I KNOW ONE OF YOU DID THIS AND IF NONE OF YOU CONFESSES I'M GONNA BEAT YOU ALL AGAIN!" Naomi screeched. Nobody confessed. She beat them bloody, and they had the smug satisfaction of uploading the terror onto YouTube. Phase two had begun.

.o0o.

The exact plan for phase two was to ruin her clothes first. Then her hair. Then, after that, they'd begin subtly driving her crazy. Moving her stuff. Hiding important documents for her work in her always locked office (Sam had a quite frankly scary ability to pick locks). Then even subtler would the real terror begin. They'd place random dinosaurs around the house. First in unobtrusive places, like a shelf or on the table. Then in her shoe. Her pillow. Her desk. Her soap. This was gonna be fun.

.o0o.

"WHAT IS WRONG WITH MY HAIR?!" Naomi screeched from the bathroom. Gabriel and Sam giggled. Everyone else was impressed with how fast they worked. Naomi wasn't even suspicious that Bobby wasn't worried about them (he was, but Jo informed him of their situation and he reluctantly stepped down).

"WHY IS IT PURPLE?!" she cried, "WHO CUT IT SHORT?!"

Sam and Gabe were silently laughing on each other's shoulders.

"IT WAS ME!" Anna called, another tactic.

"NO IT WAS ME!" Cas called.

"CAS DON'T BE A DUMB BLOND IT WAS ME!" Dean yelled.

"CASSIE IS A BRUNETTE AND IT WAS ME!" Diri yelled.

"I AM SPARTICUS!" came a resonant voice, belonging to Adam, who Mrs. Novak had never met.

"Wha? Who's there? I'll have you know you're breaking and entering!" she yelled.

"NO, 'TIS I WHO IS SPARTICUS!" this one came from Jo, who was hiding in the cabinet beneath the sink, dangerously close to Mrs. Novak.

"NO, 'TIS I WHO IS SPARTICUS!" Charlie echoed, across the hall. The two sounded eerily similar, and Mrs. Novak was getting angry again. She used her fallback, beat the children senseless, but this time the reactions were different. They sniveled and begged and cried their eyes out. Mrs. Novak got a sense of accomplishment, but little did she know this was part of their plan, which was actually going better than they could have hoped now that she had trapped them in the house.

.o0o.

On the first day, Gabriel snuck down silently and placed a dinosaur on the bookshelf. It began.

.o0o.

On the third day, Sam placed a dinosaur in the middle of the table.

.o0o.

On the sixth day, Dean put one in the sink. Mrs. Novak noticed this one, and thought it strange, but she didn't do anything about it.

.o0o.

On the eighth day, Anna snuck one into Mrs. Novak's filing cabinet. Now it was personal.

.o0o.

On the ninth day, Hael snuck one into Mrs. Novak's shoe. Now the real fun could begin.

.o0o.

On the tenth day, Mrs. Novak found one in her sheets.

.o0o.

On the eleventh day, she found one in a bar of soap. She thought it impossible, as there were no marks indicating its presence, but it was there.

.o0o.

On the twelfth day, Mrs. Novak found one in her cake. She asked who did it, nobody volunteered. No one else had one in their cake slice, and every time she tried another piece, she found a dinosaur there, too.

.o0o.

On the thirteenth day, Naomi was getting paranoid. She checked everything and everywhere for a child, but could not find one. There was a dinosaur in her piece of casserole.

.o0o.

On the fourteenth day, two days before court, she continued her steadfast search for the tiny plastic toys, but to no avail. There was a dinosaur embedded in the wood of her chair.

.o0o.

On the fifteenth day, she was erratic and her hair was even more uneven than when Sam gave her the impromptu haircut as Gabriel dyed her shampoo. There was a dinosaur in the soup. In her bowl of soup to be exact. No one else's.

.o0o.

Everyone went to bed on the fifteenth day exhausted and bruised and ready for this all to be over. Cas and Dean snuggled close and Anna shared with both her platonic and romantic soulmate, because she was pretty sure that her mother couldn't tell the difference between a can of soup and a puppy at this point. Gabe and Sam were wrapped in each other's arms, sure that their struggling would come to an end soon. Lucifer and Michael and Meg and Charlie and Jo were all there too. Jo and Charlie shared a room, as they were romantic soulmates, and Mike and Luci and Meg all camped out on the living room floor, ready to guard their siblings, real and adopted, from any sort of threat. The house started to still, and the only sound that could be heard was the croaking of frogs and crickets cheeping. Everyone dreamed good dreams of all the times to come and for the first time in years. It was perfect.


	6. Court Is Not A Place For Crazy People

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Court. I am going to be proud of myself after this chapter, hopefully anyway. APOLOGIES I COMPLETELY FORGOT ABOUT THIS ONE DEFINITELY GONNA FINISH SOON

They woke up on the sixteenth day, the first day of court. Just in case, everyone left early to beat Mrs. Novak there, but not after setting a few traps.

.o0o.

Mrs. Novak woke up and searched the immediate vicinity for tiny dinosaurs, finding none. She checked the bathroom too, and found one in her soap again. She didn't question it, even though she probably should have, and took a swift shower before finding her closet completely trashed. There was a brand-new outfit on her bed though, and she put it on without thinking of the repercussions. Maybe she should have.

She didn't know there was a giant cross-stitched 'I'm a Whore' written on the back of her suit. She didn't realize there was itching powder set to go off soon in the back of her shirt. She didn't realize there would be other dinosaurs.

She found one in her coffee. 

She found one in her cereal.

She found one in the stuffing of the seat of her car.

And one in the glove box.

And one in her lunch.

And her shoe.

And the wood of her chair.

And the bookshelf.

Every drawer of her desk. And filing cabinet (she still wondered how as she never forgot to lock her doors and they were still locked in the morning). 

And in every cabinet.

By the time she found every dinosaur, she was thirty minutes late. She sped all the way there and was pulled over. The cop laughed when he saw her shirt but still gave her a ticket. She grumbled about how those children were never going to see the light of day again.

When she got there, everyone was staring at her for reasons she didn't know. (give you a hint: shirt, hair, and she had bags under her eyes and a dick drawn on her forehead)

Lucifer, Meg, Michael, Dean, Cas, Gabe, and Sam were all dressed in immaculate suits. Anna was wearing a dress that went down to her knees. All the older kids surrounded Diri, Hael, Sam and Gabe when their mother approached.

"When I get custody of you, and I will, you will never see the light of day again." she growled. Cas started shaking and Dean turned to hold him in his arms. Dean whispered sweet nothings and promises and affirmations into Cas's ear until they walked inside to start the day. During the months of being good, Gabriel had gotten his cutie mark, and it was just as gruesome as Dean, Sam, and Cas's. It was a lollipop crossed with a bloody knife, and Dean guessed it meant he was going to be a chef. Diri and Hael had found their platonic soulmates, two kids named Katie and Benny, and were perfectly happy with them. 

"Court is in session!" were the words that seemed uplifting and dooming. The judge called prosecution first.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, the crimes this woman has committed against her own children and even the children of others is appalling." he started, "And with enough evidence to convict her specifically, we can put this case behind us immediately." he was obviously going to win.

The defense gave their statement.

"A highly prestigious-" the defense started, frowning, "Mrs. Naomi Novak has a right to punish her children as she sees fit. They are her responsibility and therefore should be treated in her manner." this startled Dean. He had forgotten about that. Hopefully, though, she couldn't do that to other people's kids.

"We have video evidence of Mrs. Novak not only punishing her kids horrifically, but she also tortured Mr. Dean Winchester and Mr. Sam Winchester." the prosecution stated.

"We would like to open with that evidence as it has been confirmed as real." they said as a man, probably an assistant, wheeled out a television with a remote. The prosecution found the YouTube video and played it for the audience, shocking and horrifying people. The  
defense seemed at a loss for words.

"The next video shows a similar phenomena." the prosecution said, and in this manner they drew up every video that Anna shot using the secret cameras. Mrs. Naomi looked at Lucifer violently, as though it were all his fault, him ruining her perfect world.

"The defense would, uh, like to call their first witness, Mr. McCloud, to the stand." Angry-British-Guy who beat Gabriel up the first day Sam and Gabriel met took a seat at the podium, looking a little shell shocked.

"Mr. McCloud, isn't it true that you knew Mr. Gabriel Novak and Mr. Samuel Winchester before the incidents?" the prosecution asked. 

"Yes." McCloud answered.

"And isn't it true that Mr. Gabriel Novak would often times annoy and prank you?"

"Yes." 

"So why, ladies and gentlemen, couldn't Mr. Gabriel Novak or even one of his siblings have caused these outbursts?" the prosecution asked.

"The prosecution rests." 

"Would the defense like to cross-examine?" the judge asked.

"Yes." the defense knew the perfect line of questioning.

"Mr. McCloud, isn't it true that you often beat up Mr. Gabriel Novak?" 

"Yes..." McCloud squirmed in his seat.

"And isn't it true that Mr. Gabriel Novak never put any real threat to your reputation, ego, family, or life?"

"Yes."

"So your retribution for harmless pranks were beatings?"

"Yes."

"The defense rests."

Then the prosecution got to call up a witness, and they chose Lucifer.

"You witnessed firsthand the amount of damage your mother can do, could you tell us about a particular incident where you were beaten in a way you found unfair?"

"Yes. I was seven, and had gotten my platonic soulmate, Meghan Graham. Naomi beat me over this simple fact, as though I could decide the gender of my soulmate. Luckily I managed to pass it off as I had found my romantic soulmate instead, and a few years later I found Mike, my real romantic soulmate. After a similar beating when Naomi found me kissing Michael, we left to fend for ourselves at age fourteen. I feel extremely guilty for it and never should have left my siblings with that monster. That's why I want to take custody of them until they can take care of themselves." he said.

The prosecution looked at him pityingly and asked him to show the court some of the damage his mother had done.

"The scars on my back are from the previously mentioned beatings and were burned into my flesh with a fire poker." he said, removing his shirt to reveal similar scars to Gabe's. The jury collectively gasped.

"And how many of your siblings share these wounds?" the prosecution asked. Sam thought the prosecuting lawyer's name was Jess or something. The defense might have been Metatron (what a weird name).

"All of them, if I am correct, as well as Dean and Sam." the jury knew this was coming and they were fuming. They wanted this evil thing locked up just as much as the rest of them.

"The prosecution rests."

The rest of the case continued like this, the defense losing greatly. In the end they all saw the result coming, and they were all given to Lucifer and Michael. 

"Congrats guys!" Sam smiled at Gabriel, who looked at him funny.

"What?" Sam asked.

"You. You just spoke." Gabe said.

"Yeah, in public and everything. I smiled too!" Sam said happily. Gabriel pulled him in for a swift kiss before everyone went back to Bobby's for ice cream and action movies.


	7. Epilogue So Sweet You Will Cry Tears Of Blood

**EPI-FUCKING-LOGUE**

"Cas..." Dean sighed. They were out with Charlie and Sam and Gabe, at dinner at this fantastic restaurant, on Dean and Cas' fifth anniversary.

"What, Dean?" Cas tilted his head.

"I love you." Dean said softly.

"Wow-" Gabe was going to make a snarky remark, but Sam's hand was soon covering his mouth.

"I have a secret-" Dean chuckled, "That trailer I brought you back to? Not ours. We were squatting in it, running from our dad."

"O-oh." Cas' eyes widened.

"And then you came into my life." Dean smiled, "And I fell in love, probably foolish of me at the time." something in Cas' face became shadowed, "And the thing is- I haven't fallen out." Dean's smile widened.

"Why are you bringing this up?" Cas raised an eyebrow at Dean.

"Because." Dean said, "We endured some tough times, and there are still some to come." Dean's smile faltered just a bit, "We still haven't found my dad after all. But that's life. Nothing's perfect or tied up in bows at the end or with a commercial break right as the tension peaks. But, there's one thing that life and TV share, and that is love." Dean reached into his pocket and withdrew a velvet box.

"So- Castiel James Novak-" Cas' eyes teared up at Dean's words, "Will you marry me?"

"Yes." Cas' voice was barely a whisper. They collided at the mouth and somehow Dean got the ring on Cas' finger without dropping the damn thing. Cas must have been crying because Dean's thumb rubbed over his face and his eyes were wet.

"I get to be the flower girl!" Charlie squealed, nearly smacking her romantic soulmate- Dorothy- in the mouth.

"Sure, Charles." Dean said breathily, sitting much too close to Cas and not caring one bit, "Anything for my adopted sis." Charlie smiled again.

"Well, Luci's gonna have a meltdown." Sam said seriously. Sam's hand was still clamped over Gabe's mouth, so Gabe did the one thing he thought to do- he licked Sam's hand.

"Eeeeewwwwww." Sam's face was so worth it, "Why?!" the whole table collapsed into laughter. It was a good night.

.o0o.

(ten years later)

"Hi Gabe." Sam approached the man. Gabe turned to face Sam, smiling and grasping two cupcakes.

"So, what do you wanna do today?" Sam smiled back.

"Celebrate your promotion, of course!" Gabe's smiled was officially infectious.

"Ah. That's what the cupcakes are for." Sam noted.

"I can't just make you cupcakes because I love you?" Gabe smirked.

"You _own a bakery_." Sam laughed, stopping when Gabe smashed a previously mentioned cupcake into his face.

"Come here, you little shit." Sam giggled, chasing Gabe around the kitchen once before catching up to him and placing an overly long and crème-filled kiss on his neck.

"Eeeeeewwwww." Gabe made a face.

"Hey, so I was gonna ask you something, but then you ruined it." Sam said, with a small pout.

"Tell me!" Gabe whined.

"Well, now you're just acting like a child." Sam was trying desperately to keep his face neutral- after years of being free of his PTSD he wasn't used to hiding his emotions.

"I'm sorry." Gabe apologized, "I'll do aaaaaanyyyyythiiiiiing." he wiggled his eyebrows at Sam.

"Oh my God." Sam face-palmed.

"That's what you said last night." Gabe laughed when Sam mockingly punched him.

"Okay- back to my gosh diddly darned question," Sam, much like his brother had ten years previous, reached for a box hidden in his pocket.

"If your question is 'Will You Marry Me', I would like to point out that we got married three years ago." Gabe said with a shit-eating grin.

"No, my question was, when do you want to pick up our child?" Sam said, blushing.

"You- you got the papers turned in?" Gabe's face lit up like a Christmas tree.

"Of course, silly." both looked close to tears.

"Now. I would like to go now." Gabe said, bringing Sam into his grip. Sam dug the papers out of his pocket and handed them to his husband.

"Really?" Sam raised an eyebrow, gesturing to his face, "Now?"

"After a shower then. A very long shower." Gabriel waggled his eyebrows again. Sam sighed and followed Gabriel into what would be the most enjoyable shower of his life. It was a good night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First finished fic that isn't a one-shot or drabble! *high fives everybody on Earth* I DID THE THING GUYS, DID I DO THE THING GOOD OR WHAT


End file.
